Town gets $244,000 for trees damaged in 2010 storm

Frank MacEachern

Updated 10:28 pm, Friday, September 28, 2012

The devastating March 2010 nor'easter has produced a windfall of a different kind for the town.

Greenwich received a $244,000 check from its insurance company this month for tree damage caused by high winds during the storm, which wreaked havoc on the town.

"This is unprecedented as far as I am concerned," said Bruce Spaman, superintendent of the parks and tree division. "I have worked with other towns and I haven't seen this. I think this will be a real eye opener for other towns."

The most the town could collect for a single damaged tree was $2,500, even if it was appraised higher, Spaman said.

"By my appraisal it was $1.4 million worth of trees, but capping it at $2,500 I thought was fair," he said. "Some trees were well below the $2,500. It really depended on the species of the tree and the location."

Trees that occupied a more prominent place were valued higher than those in wooded areas because they are more visible, Spaman said.

The appraisals ranged from $183 for a cherry tree at 83 Burning Tree Road to $63,938 for a silver maple at 37 Rock Ridge Ave. The maximum allowed for that tree was $2,500, while the cherry tree was valued at $183.

There were other restrictions as well, Spaman said.

"They only paid for town trees and it could only be on insured properties or within 1,000 feet of insured properties," he said.

The payment is only for tree damage, and does not include damage trees may have caused to other property, Spaman said.

"We want to continue planting trees," said Messina, executive director of the nonprofit Greenwich Tree Conservancy. "But we want to see the right tree in right places."

She would also like to see money for a program where trees would be marked, suggesting a town park would be a good place to start. Messina said placing a stake near a tree, with both its English and Latin names would be an important educational step.

Spaman said the town has a planting policy and plants trees throughout the year, including in areas that sustained heavy damage in the 2010 storm, which caused more than $1 million in damage to public property and untold millions of private property damage.

"There are many other things you can do for the tree program which may or may not involve just planting," he said. "There are outreach programs, teaching people about the benefits of trees."

He said the town will continue to plant trees, but wants to ensure the ones planted will survive and thrive.

"We want to plant more trees and care for the trees you plant," Spaman said. "Not just put them in the ground, walk away and hope that they live."